team scooter Posted September 6, 2015 Share #1 Posted September 6, 2015 The doggies went ballistic! When I went out to investigate I found nothing. Just now my wife went to go shopping and the garage door wouldn't open. The overhead door spring is broken. Proof positive they only build houses to last fifteen years. Add it to my list... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petitepedal ★ Posted September 6, 2015 Share #2 Posted September 6, 2015 Wow...that could have been dangerous...those things snapping can be nasty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
team scooter Posted September 6, 2015 Author Share #3 Posted September 6, 2015 I've replaced one before. Don't think I want to do it again. Good thing it happened on the weekend so I can get some help to lift the door and get the cars out. I have an interview and a doctor's appointment Tuesday, so it'll need to wait till Wednesday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ralphie ★ Posted September 6, 2015 Share #4 Posted September 6, 2015 So how did the cars escape damage? Did it have a safety wire in it? Ours has torsion springs which are 'sposed to be even more bad-ass! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Road Runner Posted September 6, 2015 Share #5 Posted September 6, 2015 . Proof positive they only build houses to last fifteen years. Holy carp! Mine is almost 60! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ralphie ★ Posted September 6, 2015 Share #6 Posted September 6, 2015 Holy carp! Mine is almost 60! Better kiss your ass goodbye. Actually, I think they built them better at some point, until the **&^% MBAs figured out how to cut corners. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
team scooter Posted September 6, 2015 Author Share #7 Posted September 6, 2015 So how did the cars escape damage? Did it have a safety wire in it? Ours has torsion springs which are 'sposed to be even more bad-ass! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ralphie ★ Posted September 6, 2015 Share #8 Posted September 6, 2015 Ohhh - torsion spring also! So I have that loud bang to look forward to some day! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Road Runner Posted September 6, 2015 Share #9 Posted September 6, 2015 Ohhh - torsion spring also! So I have that loud bang to look forward to some day! At least you'll know what to look for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ralphie ★ Posted September 6, 2015 Share #10 Posted September 6, 2015 At least you'll know what to look for. Since I am the kind of person whose toast always falls butter-side down, it will probably destroy one or both of the cars in the garage! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Road Runner Posted September 6, 2015 Share #11 Posted September 6, 2015 Mine are the old fashioned coil springy type. If they broke, it wouldn't be pretty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ralphie ★ Posted September 6, 2015 Share #12 Posted September 6, 2015 Mine are the old fashioned coil springy type. If they broke, it wouldn't be pretty. You should get a safety wire put in them. Since 2Far is a safety guy, lives near you in the south, and has some free time now, I say have him come up and do them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
team scooter Posted September 9, 2015 Author Share #13 Posted September 9, 2015 $195 dollars and our garage door is functioning again. The door guy says 15 years is a long run for a set of door springs. Especially since we use it as our primary entrance to the house. He said usually they only last 7 or 8 years with heavy use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Square Wheels Posted September 9, 2015 Share #14 Posted September 9, 2015 $195 dollars and our garage door is functioning again. The door guy says 15 years is a long run for a set of door springs. Especially since we use it as our primary entrance to the house. He said usually they only last 7 or 8 years with heavy use. Uh oh, that's the type of spring we have and we use it several times a day. It's at least 8, I suspect a lot older. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Former member Posted September 9, 2015 Share #15 Posted September 9, 2015 The doggies went ballistic! When I went out to investigate I found nothing. Just now my wife went to go shopping and the garage door wouldn't open. The overhead door spring is broken. Proof positive they only build houses to last fifteen years. Add it to my list... I had the same thing happen a few months ago, but the spring was over forty years old. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maddmaxx ★ Posted September 9, 2015 Share #16 Posted September 9, 2015 I don't have a garage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Former member Posted September 9, 2015 Share #17 Posted September 9, 2015 I don't have a garage. do you live in a townhouse/condo? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maddmaxx ★ Posted September 9, 2015 Share #18 Posted September 9, 2015 do you live in a townhouse/condo? Nope. Turned the carport into a 25 by 17 sunroom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrentonMakes Posted September 9, 2015 Share #19 Posted September 9, 2015 Our spring broke a couple years ago - I think it's a torsion spring but I guess I'm not sure. Since then, I'm a little wary walking under them.We have a single door for a 2-car garage - it's well insulated but that means it's incredibly heavy. We had to replace our opener earlier this year too.Our house is (I think) 53 years old. Took a tree to the roof during Sandy - it snapped a few joists and the ridge beam, but didn't come through. I am convinced that a modern house would have been bisected. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
team scooter Posted September 9, 2015 Author Share #20 Posted September 9, 2015 It looks like the new spring is not as stout as the old one either. The house is getting to that age where all the mid grade stuff the builder used is starting to let go. Floors, counter tops etc. Most of that stuff we had planed on changing out anyway, but never got around to it. The Mrs is already working on her third coat of paint throughout the house. Luckily all the appliances have already been replaced. Our roof and siding still looks OK but the roofs on the houses that were built a few years before ours are starting to look a little rough. And the siding on the houses a few more years older is starting to fade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Former member Posted September 9, 2015 Share #21 Posted September 9, 2015 Nope. Turned the carport into a 25 by 17 sunroom. do you live in the Northeast? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thaddeus Kosciuszko Posted September 10, 2015 Share #22 Posted September 10, 2015 One of the items that came up on the home inspection of our old house was the garage door opener. It didn't have the safety beam sensors at the bottom of the door. The opener dated pre-1992 so it didn't come with them and any retrofit kits wouldn't match up. As part of the contract, we weren't required to replace it. But the family moving in had two small kids.... So I bought a new opener and installed it. As I was tacking up the wiring up high on the wall for the new safety beam, I leaned over the garage door spring (linear type). Just as I did BANG! The spring broke at the far end and collapsed toward the door. Since my arm was resting on the extended spring at the time, as it collapsed it caught my skin between the coils, and took bits of it away in its travel towards the door. That stung a bit. Made me really mad, because now I had to buy TWO replacement springs and install them to make sure the door was balanced and operated properly. Another trip to the big box store. The door did work well when I got done, though... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Square Wheels Posted September 10, 2015 Share #23 Posted September 10, 2015 Once more proving you are a good man TK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrapr ★ Posted September 10, 2015 Share #24 Posted September 10, 2015 TKAt least it wasn't plumbing. 3 trips minimum 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F_in Ray Of Sunshine Posted September 10, 2015 Share #25 Posted September 10, 2015 ....and not knowing what the source was, you conjectured on the cause....thus creating several Big Bang theories? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maddmaxx ★ Posted September 10, 2015 Share #26 Posted September 10, 2015 do you live in the Northeast?yep that means I have to clean off the cars when it snows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Former member Posted September 10, 2015 Share #27 Posted September 10, 2015 yep that means I have to clean off the cars when it snows.I don't miss that, or slipping on icy walkways. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thaddeus Kosciuszko Posted September 10, 2015 Share #28 Posted September 10, 2015 TK At least it wasn't plumbing. 3 trips minimum 1 to buy the opener 2 to buy more insulated cable staples because the opener installation kit didn't have enough to tack up the control wires (I did have some staples of my own, but they were buried in storage somewhere) 3 to buy the two new springs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
team scooter Posted September 10, 2015 Author Share #29 Posted September 10, 2015 Yowsers TK those springs are dangerous! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rattlecan ★ Posted September 10, 2015 Share #30 Posted September 10, 2015 Ours went a few years ago. I looked online for tutorials on replacing it. The only thing I could find were admonitions that the average home handyman should not attempt this, that calling the pros was the only course of action. So, like any true red blooded card carrying man, I ignored all warnings and proceeded to fix it. Fortunately, our garage has a rear entrance. My neighbour's does not. His broke about a month ago, and while he also is a red blooded card carrying man, he is not of the handyman persuasion, so he did call the pros. My cost, about 60 bucks for a new spring. His cost, about 500. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Former member Posted September 10, 2015 Share #31 Posted September 10, 2015 Ours went a few years ago. I looked online for tutorials on replacing it. The only thing I could find were admonitions that the average home handyman should not attempt this, that calling the pros was the only course of action. So, like any true red blooded card carrying man, I ignored all warnings and proceeded to fix it. Fortunately, our garage has a rear entrance. My neighbour's does not. His broke about a month ago, and while he also is a red blooded card carrying man, he is not of the handyman persuasion, so he did call the pros. My cost, about 60 bucks for a new spring. His cost, about 500.it cost $170 to have it replaced(torsion spring). The guy that paid $500 must have had other problems too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parr8hed Posted September 10, 2015 Share #32 Posted September 10, 2015 It looks like the new spring is not as stout as the old one either. The house is getting to that age where all the mid grade stuff the builder used is starting to let go. Floors, counter tops etc. Most of that stuff we had planed on changing out anyway, but never got around to it. The Mrs is already working on her third coat of paint throughout the house. Luckily all the appliances have already been replaced. Our roof and siding still looks OK but the roofs on the houses that were built a few years before ours are starting to look a little rough. And the siding on the houses a few more years older is starting to fade. Exact same boat here. I have replaced roof, HVAC, floors, windows are due now, deck needs it, driveway... Lovely. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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